Apple Sells 2 Million iPhone 5s In China During Opening Weekend

The best-selling and record-breaking iPhone 5 has only been available in China for the past 3 days and so far, it looks to be a massive hit.

According to a new Apple press statement, Chinese customers scooped up some 2 million iPhone 5′s during opening weekend sales alone.

The iPhone 5 rollout in China is part of Apple´s goal of selling their latest smartphone in over 100 markets by the end of December. Such a feat would be the fastest global rollout in Apple´s history.

“Customer response to iPhone 5 in China has been incredible, setting a new record with the best first weekend sales ever in China,” said CEO Tim Cook in the official press statement.

“China is a very important market for us and customers there cannot wait to get their hands on Apple products.”

It wasn´t only China who got the iPhone 5 on December 14, of course. Apple also released their latest phone to an additional 31 countries as well; countries such as Albania, the Bahamas, Ecuador, Panama, Turkey and Venezuela. According to Apple, this new 2 million number includes only those sales in China, further highlighting how popular Apple´s products are in this country.

Some had noticed that the typical long lines which normally accompany an Apple release were suspiciously missing during Friday´s Chinese rollout.

Previous Chinese launch days have taught Apple a thing or two about releasing such a popular product overseas, of course.

Apple enforced a reservation system for the iPhone 5 rollout to curb scalping attempts and ensure that everyone who genuinely wanted an iPhone for themselves was able to score one.

As such, customers had to reserve an iPhone on the Web site before they went to the store. These customers were then given a specific time to arrive at the store and pick up their reserved iPhone. Such a procedure not only limits scalpers but also controls the flow of traffic to the store.

After the iPhone 5´s first launch in America and 8 other countries, Apple proudly claimed that they were able to sell more than 5 million units during opening weekend alone.

In the September press statement, Tim Cook suggested that his company could have sold even more iPhones if only they had the inventory on hand. Interest for the iPhone 5 has been strong ever since its first unveiling. In previous years, Apple has sold out of pre-order stock of their latest iPhones. This year, Apple sold through their initial pre-order stock within the first hour of availability, selling more than 2 million pre-order units within the first 24 hours alone.

Some had wondered if Apple´s 5 million units sold included these 2 million pre-order. One analyst, Brian Marshall of ISI Group suggested that Apple´s 5 million figure included only those phones which had reached their intended customers, meaning any phones on trucks or those which had been ordered and not yet shipped did not count towards this 5 million total.

By his count, Apple could have realistically sold a few more million during opening day sales.